ICYMI – Kooma Asian Fusion & Martini Bar opened at the Cherry Hill Mall two weeks ago.
I was invited to attend the preview and ribbon cutting, but I couldn’t stick around to try any of the dishes. Fortunately, they were kind enough to welcome me back recently so that I could sample a few of the menu items to share with you!
First, a little background and timeline – Kooma has been around for over 20 years.
➡️ The first location debuted in West Chester, PA, in 2001.
➡️ Then in 2020, Kooma expanded its reach with a second location in King of Prussia, PA.
➡️ Now, in 2024, Kooma’s offerings can now be enjoyed at its newest spot at the Cherry Hill Mall.
Among the people I met during the opening and recent visit are owners Scott Kim and John Jang, Regional Director of Operations, Kat McNeil, and Assistant General Manager Theodore Kail.
This location is in the old California Pizza Kitchen spot between Magianno’s and Macy’s. The exact address is 2000 Route 38 #1025.
Lott Builds of Collingswood handled the design and construction of the restaurant. The project was managed by Melissa Godshall and the restaurant’s interior was designed by Jimi Nolan. There are four distinct dining areas. The main dining area is in the middle of the restaurant, flanked by both the sushi bar (where you can watch the sushi chefs make their creations), and the bar (where you can watch the bartenders craft cocktails such as their famous martinis), and a private dining area is in the back of the restaurant.
The interior is modern and chic, commensurate with a contemporary fine dining restaurant. The atmosphere is bright and welcoming. There is music playing, but I felt it was at an acceptable level, and for an open dining concept, the acoustics were within acceptable range.
The look and feel of the restaurant is defined by tones of gray, white, and black with pops of color coming from the yellow napkins on the table and spectacular portraiture artwork by renowned artist Pier Toffoletti.
While the interior is absolutely stunning, the drinks and food are the stars here! Upon our recent visit we tried a few cocktails and items from the food menu that proved without a shadow of a doubt that Kooma is a fantastic addition to the local food scene.
You’d expect martinis at a Martini Bar to be good, right? Well, I’m happy to report that these are great. When I attended the preview, I enjoyed the lychee martini which has fast become one of my favorite martinis. Among the other martinis on the menu at Kooma are the “Water Ice” and “Peachy Keen” martinis.
The Water Ice martini includes Malibu mango rum, watermelon schnapps, Cointreau, cranberry and pineapple juices. The Peachy Keen martini includes Lunazul tequila, aperol, elderflower liqueur, peach nectar, and lime juice topped with Prosecco. Both were SO GOOD! A little on the sweeter side, but I expected that with the juices. But if you like more traditional, or dry martinis, choose something else. 🙂
For starters, we shared and enjoyed the Grilled Octopus and Fried Soft Shell Crab Buns. The octopus was cooked perfectly. It’s easy to mess up cooking octopus; it can be overcooked and become rubbery. This octopus was incredibly tender with perfect grill flavor. While the soft shell crabs were perfectly fried, I would have preferred the bao buns not to be fried as well. But that’s just personal preference. Both were tasty dishes and perfect appetizers.
For our main courses, we chose the Miso Chilean Sea Bass and two Special Rolls – the Pearl Roll (rice crunch out side with eel, avocado, asparagus, pickle red onions topped with salmon, chives, red tobiko, cooked shrimp & wasabi tobiko) and the Samurai Roll (lobster tail tempura, avocado, mango, spicy mayo, with spicy tuna, potato crunch & eel sauce).
The photos don’t do these dishes justice. The sushi rolls were XXL – they are huge! I can usually eat two orders of special rolls easily, but I have to admit, I was struggling to eat these, and it’s not because we loaded up on the appetizers. Each roll was larger than my mouth. I’m telling you this because when you look at the price on the menu, you might be surprised that most of the special rolls are over $20. But it’s worth it for the amount of food you get! Everything was beautifully presented, too.
The Chilean Sea Bass was buttery tender and well seasoned! They absolutely nailed the cook on that fish. Because of the miso sauce, the dish had such a deep, umami flavor. If you’re a seafood lover, you will find much to enjoy on this menu. While most of the menu leans towards Japanese cuisine, the stonepot bibimbaps are a nod to Korean cuisine, which are rice dishes served in a sizzling hot stone bowl.
The food menu is really impressive, with a wide variety of appetizers, sushi/sashimi/special rolls, stonepot bibimbaps, noodles & stir fries, and entrees. The drink menu offers both classic and inventive cocktail interpretations, as well as fine wines and beers. They are still working on the sake menu, but plan to also offer an extensive sake list. I can’t wait because I love sake (both hot and cold).
We merely scratched the surface of this menu upon our visit, so I am eager to return to try even more as Asian food is at the top of my favorite list!
BTW – here is my Instagram post!
I hope this article and my photos inspire you to check out this brand new upscale Asian restaurant at the Cherry Hill Mall. The South Jersey food scene continues to grow and get better and better, which so much to choose from! Kooma brings yet another great choice for exceptional dining to our area.
I almost forgot to mention that in addition to indoor dining, there is an outdoor patio should you want to dine al fresco. If you’re a fan of Asian cuisine and good drinks, and like to check out new restaurants in South Jersey, by all means, visit Kooma!
I wanted to give a special SJFS shoutout to our server Rich Donahue, who is a consummate hospitality professional. He’s a server and a bartender at Kooma, so you might catch him doing either during your visit. Hopefully, you do, because he will take very good care of you!
He told me that they will be launching a Happy Hour soon. I cannot wait to go back for that! And if imbibing isn’t your thing, you’ll be pleased to know they offer zero proof cocktails, too.
What are you waiting for? Check out Kooma soon and be sure to tell them SJFS sent you!
Kooma Asian Fusion & Martini Bar
Cherry Hill Mall
2000 Route 38, Suite 1025
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Call for reservations: (856) 486-5140
We appreciate the invitation to try a few things. Opinions are our own.
All photos by Marilyn Johnson should not be used without permission.
SJFS is dedicated to food, dining, restaurants, and drinking in South Jersey. Got a news tip? Email southjerseyfoodscene@gmail.com.